Friendship is Card Games: Ancestral Tribute · 1:46pm Jan 22nd, 2023
Between the Tell Your Tale schedule shift and the last issue of Little Fillies not coming out until next month, we’ve abruptly come to the end of the G5 backog. This was originally meant to go in a bridge week for the next Tell Your Tale blog, but sometimes reality doesn’t cooperate with my schedule. In any case, I like to commemorate every contest I run by making cards for each entrant, and now’s as good a time as any for my most recent one.
While each card’s name provides a link to its source story, a cleaner rundown of associations can be found in the contest group forum. Also, while I doubt I’ll get frequent use out of them—especially the all-too-specific for Mirrodin!—Phyrexia: All Will Be One mechanics are now fair game for card blogging purposes.
Empty Nest 1W
Enchantment
When you control no creatures, sacrifice Empty Nest. If you do, create three 1/1 blue Unicorn creature tokens.
With the kids gone, Twilight Velvet and Night Light found time for themselves… and dreams of grandchildren.
Pie Family Ancestor 2W
Creature — Pony Spirit
Outlast 1W (1W, T: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Outlast only as a sorcery.)
W, Remove a +1/+1 counter from a creature you control: Prevent all damage that would be dealt to that creature this turn.
The living tend the rocks. The dead tend the living.
1/3
Cloudsdale Megafan 3W
Creature — Pegasus Citizen
Flying
Soulbond (You may pair this creature with another unpaired creature when either enters the battlefield. They remain paired for as long as you control both of them.)
Whenever Cloudsdale Megafan and the creature it’s paired with attack, put a +1/+1 counter on each of them.
2/2
Courtly Disgrace 4W
Sorcery
This spell costs 3 less to cast if it targets a white creature.
Exile target creature.
Beneath her veneer of motherly care, Celestia has little patience for any who defy her, and even less for the formerly obedient who step out of line.
Burden of Fins U
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature is a Fish and doesn’t untap during its controller’s untap step unless that player controls an Island.
Magic swept over the world, robbing many of their thumbs and some of their legs.
Pairing Caves Expedition 1U
Enchantment
Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, put a quest counter on Pairing Caves Expedition.
Remove three quest counters from Pairing Caves Expedition and sacrifice it: Create a token that’s a copy of target creature.
The Pairing Stone demands self-reflection.
Transaction Denied 1U
Instant
Counter target spell if mana from a nonland source was spent to cast it.
Spoiled’s overcharged credit card was only the beginning of a miserable day.
Eurus’s Cup 2UU
Legendary Artifact
T, Put a wind counter on Eurus’s Cup: Add CC.
When Eurus’s Cup has four or more wind counters on it, sacrifice it. If you do, return all nonland permanents to their owners’ hands, then create an X/X blue Elemental creature token with flying, where X is the greatest number of cards in a player’s hand.
Drinking Contest 1B
Sorcery
Lifelink
Drinking Contest deals 1 damage to target creature you control and 1 damage to target creature an opponent controls. That opponent may copy this spell and may choose new targets for the copy.
Cider and pride mix all too well.
Devouring Gigapede 1BB
Creature — Phyrexian Insect
Menace
Devouring Gigapede enters the battlefield with an oil counter on it.
Devouring Gigapede has toxic X, where X is the number of oil counters on it. (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get X poison counters.)
2/2
Counterassassination 2B
Instant
Regenerate target creature. When that creature regenerates this way, destroy up to one target creature. (The next time the creature would be destroyed this turn, it isn’t. Instead tap it, remove all damage from it, and remove it from combat.)
No one likes sloppy execution.
Manehattan Undertaker 2B
Creature — Pony Assassin
When Manehattan Undertaker enters the battlefield, target creature an opponent controls gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
When you sacrifice Manehattan Undertaker while casting a spell with casualty, each opponent sacrifices a creature.
Ebon Chevalier has a pony for every task.
3/1
Pampered Snob 2B
Creature — Pony Noble
Exploit (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.)
When Pampered Snob exploits a creature, create a 1/1 black Pony Peasant creature token.
Pampered Snob can’t attack unless you control a Peasant.
4/4
Grogar Rises 3B
Sorcery
Amass Horrors X, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard. (Put X +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. It's also a Horror. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Horror Army creature token first.)
Tambelon’s king never arrives unattended.
Kitchen Mishap 2R
Instant
Destroy target artifact and all tokens that share an artifact type with that artifact.
Even the best bakers have off days.
Star-Crossed Tragedy 2R
Sorcery
Star-Crossed Tragedy deals 4 damage to target creature. If it’s paired with a creature, Star-Crossed Tragedy also deals 4 damage to that creature.
Whether through accident or malice, Bright Macintosh and Buttercup meet an untimely end far more often than not.
Canterlot Thrillseeker 3R
Creature — Unicorn Scout
Mentor (Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature with lesser power.)
Canterlot Thrillseeker attacks each combat if able.
Equestria’s capital offers many ways to whet an appetite for adventure.
4/3
Lovers’ Waltz 4R
Sorcery
Gain control of two target creatures until end of turn. Untap those creatures. They gain haste until end of turn. Other creatures you control can’t attack this turn.
While the old record plays, there is nothing in the world for them but each other.
Past Regrets 1G
Instant
Put target card from a graveyard on the top or bottom of its owner’s library. You gain life equal to that card’s mana value.
Stormy Flare was resigned to spending the last years of her life in her memories as much as Cóltoba.
Sudden Premonition 1G
Instant
Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can’t cast spells or activate abilities that aren’t mana abilities.)
Target creature gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
A filly’s dream of things to come sent the timeline careening down a brighter path.
Pulse of the Earth 1GG
Sorcery
Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Then if an opponent controls more lands than you, return Pulse of the Earth to its owner’s hand.
Before farms or borders, there was rock.
Virulent Rage 2G
Sorcery
Corrupted — Target creature you don’t control fights target creature controlled by you or an opponent with three or more poison counters.
It wasn’t clear whether Sweetie Drops was driven more by her pride or the bugbear venom.
Animated Idol 6
Artifact Creature — Golem
Alicorn (This is also a Pony Pegasus Unicorn.)
Sacrifice another artifact: Animated Idol gains indestructible until end of turn.
The symbol of the Malicorn Worshipers’ devotion was also the primary means of defending their temple.
5/4
Brazen Praetorian 8
Artifact Creature — Construct
Prototype 2R — 1/2 (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.)
Double strike
The Disciples of Arcana rediscovered many inventions Celestia sought to bury.
4/5
Serene Subduer GW
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Vigilance, reach
Whenever Serene Subduer blocks or becomes blocked by a creature with power 4 or greater, Serene Subduer gets +6/+6 until end of turn.
Wise beings fear the wrath of a gentle stallion.
2/2
The City in Shadow 2UB
Enchantment — Saga
Read ahead (Choose a chapter and start with that many lore counters. Add one after your draw step. Skipped chapters don’t trigger. Sacrifice after III.)
I, II — Each player mills four cards.
III — Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.
Mnemonic Trigger 2GU
Sorcery
Return a land card, a nonland permanent card, and an instant or sorcery card at random from your graveyard to your hand.
A chance encounter with a precocious filly brought Argyle’s own daughter back to mind, along with everything else.
Impisi, Spell Butcher 3WU
Legendary Creature — Hyena Wizard
Ward 3
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, create a Food token. (It’s an artifact with “2, T, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.”)
1W, Sacrifice an artifact: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
1U, Sacrifice an artifact: Counter target noncreature spell.
3/4
Inexorable Destiny 2BBGG
Sorcery
This spell can’t be countered.
Destroy target creature. You may put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Igneous and Cloudy ran from their fate for years. It found them all the same.
Rock Salt Deposit
Land
Rock Salt Deposit enters the battlefield tapped with three depletion counters on it.
T, Remove a depletion counter from Rock Salt Deposit: Add CC. If there are no depletion counters on Rock Salt Deposit, sacrifice it.
These are so cool!!!
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Yes, the copy of Drinking Contest your opponent makes can be copied in turn and so on for as long as there's legal targets left. Yes, Lifelink works on non-permanents properly. No, nobody has to pay for the additional drinks.
Awesome to see Impisi in card-mechanics form. "Spell Butcher" is such a good title for her that I wish I'd thought of it myself.
Chapter books still are a thing.
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Glad you liked them!
5710185
Oh yes, the pony novels never stopped being a thing. However, the last card blog I did before the Make Your Mark series premiered was on one, and thus they're last on the rotation. Given when Little Fillies #4 is set to drop, Princess Luna and the Festival of the Winter Moon is slated for February 19th... though it will likely be delayed by a Magic event in Philadelphia I plan on attending.
My Phyrexia, All Will Be One cards
DangerDean, Nemesis of New Phyrexia 3RW
Legendary Planeswalker - Danger
4
+2: Create two 2/2 Human Rebel creature tokens
-2: Search your library for an Equipment card and put into your hand then shuffle your library
-6: You get an emblem with: As long as you control three of more legendary creatures, Equipment cards you cast have For Mirrodin!
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This is interesting. The abilities become progressively more underpowered as the card goes. Getting board advantage on any plus ability is concerning. 4/4 worth of stats across two bodies on a +2 is way too much.
Meanwhile, the Equipment tutor is perfectly fine and the ultimate is unplayable. You need to plus for three turns, then resolve the -9, then you need three legendary creatures, and then you need to get an Equipment on the field... just to get half of the first ability. That is an insane number of hoops to jump through for far, far too little return on investment. You could easily have this be, say, "You get an emblem with 'Equipment you control have for Mirrodin!' Exile any number of Equipment you control, then return those cards to the battlefield."
5710968
Changed it to 6 and I like the flicker.
Also do you I should do a Compleated Oscura Galaxia?